


Collateral Damage

by SomeBratInAMask



Category: Marvel (Comics), Young Avengers
Genre: Angst, Friends With Benefits, If you squint there are some dom/sub undertones, Light Angst, M/M, PWP, Riding, also if you squint it's actually me having sex with noh in spirit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-30
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-07-19 07:43:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7352119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeBratInAMask/pseuds/SomeBratInAMask
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was five hours until Noh finally stumbled back to Teddy and agreed to get them off this planet. “You fought so hard to keep your ass on earth and now you act miserable every time we’re here,” Noh had griped on the way to the ship. “You sense the irony, too, right?”</p>
<p>Noh is there when Teddy needs a rebound.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Collateral Damage

**Author's Note:**

> I love NohTeddy. It's a good ship, guys. Hear me out.

Teddy knew it was rude to boast, but in the privacy of his own thoughts, he could admit that he was a good kid. He earned good grades, drove carefully on roads, helped the elderly woman on his street put away her groceries every other Tuesday. He wasn't perfect. High school had been a testimony to how imperfect he could be. He had gotten caught up with the Wrong Crowd and done things Unlike Him.

That was his past, according to Mr. and Mrs. Kaplan, all neatly tied up with a little sticker labeled Good Kid. And it had been the greatest gift Teddy could've asked for. He could barely see the deals he made behind the library, or the face behind bars he had stolen for nights out with Greg, or the tired eyes his mom sometimes made at the sky when she didn't know Teddy was watching their porch from the banged up screen door. It was all hidden beneath a pretty Manhattan bow.

Teddy still had the engagement ring in his luggage, the one he had waited too long to engrave and never made it to Billy in time. The one he refused to unpack because no matter how many times Teddy said no, a little part of him cried _yes, god, yes_ whenever Billy left another 2 AM voicemail. Noh had launched his ship into space and dragged Teddy from place to place like a carry-on bag. The small black box with Billy’s ring stayed untouched, beating like a heart at the bottom of his empty suitcase.

And Teddy, because he wasn’t perfect, realized it was harder to hear it beating from Noh’s room. In fact, it was incredibly easy to tune out everything but Noh’s panting breaths when he hit the autopilot button and crawled into Teddy’s lap. His chair spun a bit and Teddy’s arms sprung from the control panel to squeeze Noh’s ass. Noh had parked the ship to party at some legendary nightclub Teddy just _had_ to experience. Teddy loitered at the bar while Noh acted as drunk as soberly possible on the dance floor. Teddy ordered cheap beer that barely made a dent in the pathetic blanket of gloom he had firmly swaddled himself in after Billy’s latest call.

It was five hours until Noh finally stumbled back to Teddy and agreed to get them off this planet. “You fought so hard to keep your ass on earth and now you act miserable every time we’re here,” Noh had griped on the way to the ship. “You sense the irony, too, right?”

Teddy shrugged and increased his body temperature as the cool Alaskan air threatened to raise goosebumps. “Just not feeling earth right now, I guess. Sorry I ruined your night.” He meant it. Noh had given him an escape from his perfect world toppling over, had welcomed him onto his fancy space ship and crazy travel plans without being asked. The least Teddy could do was not be a killjoy every waking moment.

Noh had smirked and reminded Teddy that the night wasn’t over yet. There weren’t many emotions Noh possessed that couldn’t be expressed with a smug half-smile. (That was an unfair thought. Noh had done so much for him. The least Teddy could do was have a good time and not resent him for every way he wasn’t Billy.)

So Teddy smiled back, allowed the visible blush that crept onto his cheeks, because he knew Noh liked being the shameless one.

The kiss was sloppy, but good. Everything Noh did was good. Being with him was unlike anything with Billy, and Teddy hated thinking of him, but this was one area where Noh outshined. Noh held his face, raked his fingers through Teddy’s hair, sucked bruises into his neck before biting his ear. He kept squirming in Teddy’s lap, not nervous, but like he couldn’t get enough. Noh was absolutely everywhere and there was no room in Teddy’s head for anyone else. Noh usually slowed down if they took long enough, but Teddy preferred the fast flurry of sex so meaningless that Billy couldn’t slip through the cracks of muscle memory.

“I love when I can taste alcohol on your tongue,” Noh confessed, words hot and wet in Teddy’s mouth. Teddy used to laugh at the things Noh said at first. He was used to it now, and the wash of embarrassment was faint enough to be pleasant.

“Why?” Teddy still asked. He peeled off Noh’s shirt, which he normally didn’t bother with, but tonight felt less utilitarian. He ran his palms down Noh’s muscular arms and along his chest, his waist, his denim-covered thighs.

Noh chuckled, nuzzled Teddy’s jaw. “You smell of bad decisions. It’s hot.” Teddy felt the light pressure of teeth scrape beneath his chin.

Teddy undid Noh’s jeans as he pressed them closer. He should probably participate, if he wanted to make things good for both of them instead of letting Noh give and give and give. “Everything concerning you is a bad decision,” he blurted in between kissing Noh’s shoulder. The apology was on its heels when Noh laughed.

“That’s the best testimonial I’ve heard all week,” he thanked with an entertained leer. He waved Teddy away, pushing him back against the chair. “Everything off,” Noh commanded, standing and stepping out of his jeans. Teddy did as he said as quickly as possible. Noh had a thing about efficiency in responding to orders.

Noh reached under the dashboard and pulled out the drawer he kept his condoms and lotion in. He tossed Teddy a condom. “On,” he said, and then poured some lube onto his own fingers. Teddy tore off the wrapper and rolled the latex over his cock as Noh massaged the lotion between his legs. He narrowed his eyes at Teddy’s dick. “Bigger,” he instructed.

Teddy rolled his eyes, but obeyed. Noh nodded in approval, making Teddy feel strangely like a soldier in Noh’s squadron. Finally, Noh flung his legs over Teddy and sunk down onto his cock. Noh wrapped his arms around Teddy’s neck and grinned. His platinum hair was mussed, strands of it clinging to his face. Up close, Teddy noticed the glitter around his green eyes and flushed cheeks.

Noh slowly bobbed up and down on his lap, completely bare and pressed against Teddy in a way that made his head swim. Teddy swiped his thumb across Noh’s cheekbone and briefly inspected the pink sparkle beside his nail. “Why are you wearing glitter?” he asked.

“A girl at the club offered me some. She said glitter makes her feel like a mermaid,” Noh retold. Teddy vaguely recalled the redhead with body glitter Noh had corned against a wall. She left before them, and Teddy had hoped Noh would give up clubbing after that, but he had just found others to dance with for the next three hours.

Noh kissed Teddy, sucking his bottom lip for a bit before continuing his story. “I asked her what a mermaid was, and after I had convinced her I genuinely didn’t know, she explained they were babes with tails who hung out underwater.”

Teddy skirted a finger between Noh’s ass, thinking to turn him on, but Noh reached behind himself and grabbed Teddy’s wrist. He held Teddy’s hand between them and leaned back slightly, eyes fluttering shut as he picked up the pace. It occurred to Teddy that Noh might actually prefer Teddy doing nothing at all during sex.

He wasn’t sure if that was a bad thing or not. He could think about it more after, when he wasn’t inside Noh and already exerting most of his brain power on keeping his composure. Noh lasted longer than Teddy was accustomed to, as embarrassing as it was. “The tail part threw me off, to be honest,” Noh resumed. “But I was sold when she mentioned that mermaids use their freakish talons to drag horny sailors overboard and drown them for fun.”

Teddy faltered momentarily at that. He opened his eyes to gaze up at Noh. The smallest pout was on his lips. “She really bummed me out when she said they weren’t real.”

“Yeah,” agreed Teddy, kind of weirded out. “That – sucks.” He kissed Noh’s temple, which felt more than out of place, and resolved to finish the rest of this without conversation. “You know what I like?” He kissed Noh. “Just hearing the sounds you make when you’re around me, your skin against mine. Nothing else,” he murmured, shifting away the blood pooling in his cheeks. There was no reason to be modest around Noh of all people, he reminded himself.

Noh snickered, pulling off until he reached Teddy’s head and then falling back down. Teddy jolted and gasped. “You want me to shut up,” surmised Noh, voice wry.

Teddy smiled sheepishly. “Kind of?”

“Rude.” Noh bit Teddy’s lip. “So rude.” Noh brushed his hands down Teddy’s chest, gently rubbing his nipples before continuing down his stomach. He kissed him in quick succession. “So rude.” Noh’s tongue licked into Teddy’s mouth as he ground down on his cock. “You wound me, Altman.”

Teddy had settled for smoothing circles on Noh’s hipbones. “I’m sure,” he humored. This felt good, Noh riding him as he planted messy kisses over all Teddy’s body. They were leaving earth, leaving everything that made Teddy imperfect behind. It didn’t matter that Teddy wasn’t strong enough to handle his lie. Nothing mattered with Noh and Teddy could breathe easier. In the end, he’d feel like a douche bag for it, but he didn’t have to treat Noh well. He didn’t have to take control of Noh’s life and put everything into order for him. Noh could take care of himself.

And maybe Billy was right. Maybe Teddy didn’t actually have to be perfect for him. Maybe Billy could function without Teddy micromanaging. But Billy was too important for Teddy to let go of the reigns and find out. He couldn’t risk everything they had built together in the off-chance that it wouldn’t go to shit. Teddy knew that, ultimately, everything in the world was subject to change. That was why he needed to control as much of it as he could.

Teddy didn’t need to control Noh for him to straddle his lap and bite his shoulder. Noh would do that until Teddy couldn’t think, just feel incredibly amazing, and then he would fly him out of reality until they found some cheap diner on a foreign planet where no one gave a shit about whose life he might’ve ruined. (His mom’s, Cassie’s, everyone he couldn’t protect; Billy’s, Mr. and Mrs. Kaplan’s, and Billy’s younger brothers, everyone whose support he threw back in their faces.)

Noh was getting to him. Teddy squeezed his waist, felt himself standing on the edge. Tonight, clearly, he would not be impressing Noh with his endurance. Frankly, Noh was too high a standard anyway and it was nothing short of miraculous whenever Teddy came last. Teddy came quietly, a sharp intake of breath that closed his eyes and leaned his head back.

“Thanks for trying, Ted,” Noh muttered, riding Teddy quicker now. Teddy laughed softly, holding Noh close.

The best part about hopping galaxies with his lost boy of a best friend: if Teddy ruined his life here, at least there would be no collateral damage.  

The heartbeat left aching in the little black box at the bottom of his suitcase was his own. Everything that mattered was trapped on a planet light-years below.


End file.
